Moving stairway



R. c. RILEY MOVING STAIRWAY June 9, 1953 Filed June 12, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVLNTOR RICHARD C. RILEY ATTORNEY R. c. RILEY MOVING STAIRWAY June 9, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 12, 1950 8 .1 Ti zgmfi H. v H

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BY g fW/(Q y ATTORNEY Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOVING STAIBWAY Richard C. Riley, Lake Grove, Ores.

Application June 12, 1950, Serial No. 167,549

Glaims.

The present invention relates to moving stai-rways, commonly referred to as escalators, which is a chain belt comprising an assemblage of step attachment links with guide means that bring the steps into the relationship of steps like the common stairway and move in that rigid relationship from the bottom up, or from the top down; the reversely running reach returning therebeneath. Separate belts are required for the differing directions of travel.

My new moving stairway belt-like structure comprising linked together steps, is circular in plan and spiraled in appearance with one-half of the belt serving as a lifting side and the other half as a descending side. Thus one belt, but slightly longer than a single belt of theolder type, serves for both ascending and descending purposes and saves space in that the space beneath the stairway, which may be high rent retail space, is better available. The capital investment is less by a substantial amount and many architectural advantages will be apparent.

These enumerated advantages and others will be apparent from the specification and are particularly pointed out in the claims and are the objects ofv the present invention.

Drawings illustrating the invention schematically, accompany and form a part of this specification, in which:

Fig, 1 is a schematic perspective of a complete stairway structure, without support or construction details;

Fig. 2 is an enlar ed sectional view taken: on the plane 2-2, Fig. 1, showing a fragmentary step unit and the and rail support structure, to be further explained;

Fig, 3 is a perspective view of a step unit with horizontally and laterally spaced supporting guide rollers showing the double riser feature necessary to av stairway of this kind;

Fig. 4 is a Section taken on the: plane 4-4, of Fi Fig. 5 is a schematic side view of the preferred means of applying motive power to the movin stairway, which should be placed beneath the floor line between the stairs at the upper end;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the plane 6-6, Fig. 5; and

7 is a p rspective view showing the relationship of the lower part of the housing I! with the step structure of Fig. 3.

Describing the structure illustrated, in greater detail:

Since the moving stairway is a chain belt with what are commonly designated attachments carried by the double linkage that constitutes the chain, I will first describe the unit shown in Fig. 3', a single step of the necessary considerable number required to assemble the stairway. In their best form, thesesteps will be identical and interchangeable, comprising a truncated segmental tread on top and risers 9 and ID on both sides, which are convexly arcuate as shown. The treads are necessarily segmentary in form and the lines 2 and 3 are foreshortened radial lines that will meet in the center of the circle that defines the axis of'th-e circular stairway.

It will also be apparent that the convexly arcuate risers 9' and it are defined by an infinite num ber of radial lines that meet in a point in a common axial center. Each individual step is identical in construction at both ends, with dimensions larger on the outside end. Linkages 4 and 5 are present at both ends and with the steps constitute an endless chain belt, made up from the'steps spaced by the linkages. The guide rollers 1 and t3, mounted on journals 6 and 12, are repeated at the wider end of the step I, and guide and thrust rollers, with the cooperating guide rails i3, i4 and [5, are repeated also. In Fig. 5, only the load carrying part of guides 8, I4 and i5 are shown to avoid needless complication of the draw-- ing without corresponding completeness of disclosure. Further description of the step mounting follows,

Each step unit will also carry a thrust bearing H, with its counterpart shown at the opposite end of each step unit, because the thrust changes on opposite sides of the driving unit, to be described, said bearing being mounted on. swivel slip joint to allow for necessary changes in direction of rollers and maintain even tension of stair chain.

To keep the top ofv each step in a horizontal plane, a shaft l2, or other suitable bearing of other construction, will support a roller i3 mounted in horizontally spaced relationship with the roller 1', and guide means indicated by the rail l4 and the T i5 will be so spaced from the chanr nel 8. that by reason of the horizontal spacing. the topof the treads I will be level in any position of" a. given step unit (Fig. 3) at any time regardless of where passenger weight is placed on tread. In Fig, 5, I have again. shown only a line I 4 representing the weight carrying portion of the rail 14, which is shown to be so curved that the roller supports coincide in horizontal registry where the steps are moving under a floor surface,

as'at location it in Fig. 5 and also where the drive gear operates, as will be described hereinafter.

A covering and supporting housing H is in the form of a spiral having the same radius as the stairway. This housing I! is shown in Fig, 2 to be part of the supporting framework for the guides and other fixed parts; and this figure indicates diagrammatically how it will be mounted with respect to the more carefully described parts comprising the present invention, since the traveling hand rail is known well in the traveling stairway art and not considered to be a part of the invention and is not claimed herein.

Driving mechanisms, preferably located at the upper end of the traveling stairway, beneath the upper floor line 20, may comprise, of course, any suitable mechanism though the application of power to both inner and outer sides of a circular spiraled stairway rather limits the variety of designs that can be used. I prefer the following: The guides are so placed as to guide the chain belt with all steps in the same plane, as shown in Fig. 5, in the right hand part thereof, or spaced apart, to produce the step relationship at the left. Each step has an offset rack support 2! upon which a toothed rack 22 is made rigid, the portions being of such length that when the step treads are in the same plane, the sections will make up a practically continuous rack. Though the sections will be longer at the wider ends of the steps, the rack is duplicated at the other end, but shorter by one or more teeth.

An electric motor 25 drives a drive sprocket 26 upon which is mounted a sprocket chain 21, the chain being mounted on a driven sprocket 2B, in turn keyed to shaft 29, which shaft drives two spur gears 30 and 3|, the first named engaging with the shorter rack sections on the inside of the l curved stairway and the last named engaging with the longer sections on the outside of the circle.

These spur gears will be of such number of teeth that when the teeth engage with the rack sections, the travel will be correct at both ends of any given step. To prevent a cocking action, which might be expected if the entire load of moving the stairway were concentrated on one step at a time, a beam 32 (and its duplicate at the opposite end of the steps) supports several additional shafts 33, 34 and 35, which carry sprockets 3B, 31 and 38 arranged in pairs with a master sprocket 39 mounted on the shaft 29, with steel roller chains All, 41 and 42 transmitting equal power to gears 43, 44 and 45. Obviously, other drive means can be substituted for that which I have shown as the preferred type.

The traveling stairway may be easily adapted to floors of different separation heights by placing more or less of the belt under the floor at the bottom or the top, or both, to accommodate a given stairway to several different ceiling heights with the same stairway belt; referring to the dimension line D in Fig. 1 and the dotted line at the bottom D representing the counterpart.

It is intended that the drawings will be regarded as schematic and anyone having the necessary skill to design a traveling stairway of the kind herein disclosed will also understand that rollers such as 1,1! and I3 must be journaled with ball bearings and equipped with suitable hard rubber or other quiet running treads.

The critical feature is, of course, the curvature of the guides, which in the ascending and descending reaches present no problem and can be formed from structural members, preferably of aluminum; while the representative downwardly curved and at the same time horizontally curved trackage portions such as are shown between the two numerals IS in Fig. 5 are more easily. manufactured as aluminum castings. The gears shown in mesh with the racks 22 can be omitted at the end where no power is applied.

Having fully described my invention so that those familiar with the art of constructing moving stairways can make and use the same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An endless escalator having in series an ascending passenger-carrying flight and a descendingpassenger-carrying flight comprising a plurality of steps, means interconnecting said steps and effecting conjoint movement thereof, means guiding said steps for movement in a closed path, track means along said path, a swiveled thrust roller at each end of each step engageable with said track means, mounting means carrying each of said thrust rollers on an end of each of said steps and operable to transmit thrust force from said thrust roller to said step for holding said step in proper position lengthwise, and drive means operable to move said steps around such path.

2. An escalator circular in plan, comprising a plurality of truncated segmentary stair step members, linkages joining said members into an endless belt, pivot mountings for said linkages at both ends of said step members, a spaced pair of channel form curved roller guide members forming an ascending stair step guide with a continuation thereof forming a descendin stair step guide, upper and lower connecting guide member reaches between adjacent ends of said ascending and descending guides, at least two spaced bearing rollers carried by each step member and engaged with said guide members, and a drive for the belt as a whole located adjacent to the upper guide member reach and delivering power to the inside and outside of each of four step members in unison.

3. An endless moving stairway circular in plan, comprising a number of stair step carriages, linkages joining the insides of such carriages and the outside of such carriages and propelling each carriage in predetermined and positive relation to the adjoining carriages, weight supporting rollers horizontally and laterally spaced, carried by each end of each carriage, fixed channel trackages guidingly engaged by said rollers and disposed to keep the treads of the stair step carriages in level position at all places in their travel, a swivel jointed thrust bearing on each side of each carriage maintaining'proper lengthwise position of the carriage at all places, and power means drivingly engaging the inside and outside of a plurality of carriages.

4. An endless escalator having in series an ascending passenger carrying flight and a descending passenger carrying flight comprising steps each including a tread, risers on opposite sides of said tread, and rack sections at opposite ends of said tread having teeth projecting toward the tread side of the step, means interconnecting said steps and effecting conjoint movement thereof, a floor section overlying a portion of the path of said steps, and drive means including a shaft interposed between said floor section and a step, inclined relative to the tread of a step and carrying a larger gear meshing with one of said rack sections adjacent to the end of said tread spaced farther from said shaft and a smallergear meshing with the rack section adjacent to the end of said tread closer to said shaft, and powermeans operable to rotate said-shaft for driving said gears,

5. An endless escalator having in series an ascending passenger carrying flight and a descending passenger carrying flight, comprising steps each including a tread, risers on opposite sides of said tread, and rack sections at opposite ends of said tread having teeth projecting toward the tread side of the step, means interconnecting said steps and effecting conjoint movement thereof, a floor section overlying a portion of the path of said steps, and drive means including a plurality of parallel shafts interposed between said floor section and a corresponding plurality of steps, inclined relative to the treads of such steps and each shaft carrying a larger gear meshing with one of said rack sections on a step adjacent to the end of the tread of such step spaced farther from said shaft and a smaller gear meshing with the rack section adjacent to the end of said tread closer to said shaft, and power means operable to rotate all said shafts simultaneously f0! rotating said gears to drive a plurality of steps.

RICHARD C. RILEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 890,802 Seeberger June 16, 1908 984,495 Seeberger Feb. 14, 1911 999,885 Seeberger Aug. 8, 1911 1,014,856 Seeberger Jan. 16, 1912 1,130,556 Wheeler Mar. 2, 1915 

